Satellites show tinder-dry Southern California

New satellite readings are helping reaffirm what forecasters have been predicting for weeks: Rapid drying of vegetation could mean increased wildfire risk for Southern California.

Using measurements of changes in soil moisture from one satellite and of vegetation growth from another, scientists at Chapman University and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena showed that rains fueled a burst of growth in January and February.

But the readings also showed that the vegetation dried out more quickly than normal under warm weather and strong winds in March and April.

That means an increase in fire fuel and wildfire risk. The scientists released before and after images from the satellite data.

The scientists worked with local fire agencies, including the Orange County Fire Authority, to augment their findings with fuel-moisture readings from the ground.

"What the satellite images give you is much more general coverage than you get by field measurements," said Menas Kafatos, head of the Chapman team.

Long-range forecasters had predicted that the early season green-up would likely result in excess fuel.

In March, OCFA's wildland fire defense planner, George Ewan, worried that the county's green hillsides could "lull people into a false sense of security."

The latest seasonal outlook from the interagency Predictive Services group says dry weather and high temperatures should continue through August, with Orange County's wildfire potential moving into the "above normal" column by July.